pto driven vacum kit?

[boggen]

thread got me to thinking.
Implement/Attachment Wish list... - Page 4 - TractorByNet.com

cleaning out a grain bin to turn it into a shed, and came across some old blowers that you might find in your central heating or central A/C. no motors but they have a shaft that a pulley or something could be attached to.

also found another blower that looks like it might have more suction power at moment has a 230volt motor on it.

i have some 30 gallon and 55 gallon drums.

some misc scrap plywood, silicon and spray foam and some screws. i think i have some 4" or 3" flex pipe you might use for end of gutters to get water away form the house some.

i really don't like idea of debris going through the fans, the 230volt blower might be able to handle debris without clogging but rather not do that.

so some sort of box would need to be placed around the blowers. and allow for a shaft to come out the side to connect PTO somehow.

errr perhaps getting a standard box cheap fan that you might have in your hose or prop up front of a window. and remove the motor, and hook it up to the pto shaft with some pulleys. to increase speed of the fan speed. and have it suck the air out of 55 gallon drum or some sort of plywood box. that had a 3" or 4" hose on it, to use as a vacuum.

something strong enough to allow small size crusher rock to be picked up. yet also able to say pick up grass 3 to 5 feet wide. no need for hydrualics or tilt bed dumper, or like a regular house carpet vacuum with the roller under neath it. just a straight shop vac like vacuum but ran off back of tractor PTO. with ability to make your own catcher, either garbage cans, 30 or 55 gallon drums. or building a plywood box on top of a small trailer or toe able lawn cart.

maybe a carry-all. to hold the vacuum fan that connects to PTO shaft and 3pt hitch on tractor. then a ball / hitch with a hose added to carry-all. to make your own size toe able catcher box.

 

[ZLineFabrication]

Boggen, this is another idea i am putting some thought into. we need to see who the market would be? and how big? there are existing designs in different types of equipment that could work in this type of system. so we dont need to reinvent the wheel. i had mentioned a straw blower, this type of equipment uses an enclosed fan to suck in shreaded straw and blow it out over 50'. you need to move a huge volume of air to make this work. the rpm's needed warrant a Strong impeller so that it doesnt shatter when you pickup a rock. you dont actual need the beater, as long as you drag tines of some sort to lift matted debri.

just some thoughts...

 

[boggen]

more of lines of thinking of, a simple metal grate. or even plywood with a bunch of holes in it. with perhaps some sort of fabric or smaller size grill or another piece of plywood with even small holes. to protect the fan.

looking for cheap = better. and general materials that might be around and easily obtained for a few bucks.

 

[cmhyland]

Take a look at this, it might give you some ideas.

Trac Vac Model 858 Lawn Vac

 

[boggen]

Take a look at this, it might give you some ideas.

Trac Vac Model 858 Lawn Vac

getting closer but looks like 5" or 6" pipe between MMM (mid mount mower) and the fan.

also debris is going through fan it would seem. was hoping to avoid that. to cut costs on more expensive heavy duty fan blade.

love the 3pt hitch to tow able trailer though.

though it doesn't have to be tow able trailer. perhaps a piece of plywood over the FEL (front end loader) bucket to make a container.

 

[SPYDERLK]

more of lines of thinking of, a simple metal grate. or even plywood with a bunch of holes in it. with perhaps some sort of fabric or smaller size grill or another piece of plywood with even small holes. to protect the fan.

looking for cheap = better. and general materials that might be around and easily obtained for a few bucks.

Looking all thru your posts here I think you are underestimating the needs for what you seem to want to do. As mentioned by ZLineFabrication you will need a lot of air moving and even with that will have to disturb the debris to get good pickup. Small hoses wont flow much air and even then would clog easily. Unless you plan to feed it manually, and with fine debris, you will need HORSEPOWER. My TrackVac does fairly well on a 54" swath. Its using 8 suction HP and 5 or more HP on the MMM to disturb and blow debris into the 8" pickup tube. Still it clogs some -- esp if mower is not run at full rpm[using up to 10HP]. To pick up even a 3 foot swath without disturbing, chopping, and consolidating debris in this manner is going to take a big tube, a well designed suction pickup throat, and tens of HP.
larry

 

[ZLineFabrication]

more of lines of thinking of, a simple metal grate. or even plywood with a bunch of holes in it. with perhaps some sort of fabric or smaller size grill or another piece of plywood with even small holes. to protect the fan.

looking for cheap = better. and general materials that might be around and easily obtained for a few bucks.

two observations:

1. the containment "box" would have to be air tight in order to acheive a vacuum.

2. the main vacuum tube (filters) would be prone to clogging which will result in loss of vacuum.

i would allow the material to "pass through" the fan. not only will it be more effiacient, it will shread debri allowing you to fit more in the containment vessel.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...looking for cheap = better. and general materials that might be around and easily obtained for a few bucks.

I think a trampoline canvas would be a good "filter" for this application. You can find them for very cheap if not free.

two observations:

1. the containment "box" would have to be air tight in order to acheive a vacuum.

2. the main vacuum tube (filters) would be prone to clogging which will result in loss of vacuum.

i would allow the material to "pass through" the fan. not only will it be more effiacient, it will shread debri allowing you to fit more in the containment vessel.

I agree that the containment box would have to be tight, but considering the amount of air flow required for this project, a few leaks will not make much of a difference.

I see a system more like a big shopvac. Mount the blower on a big box with a filter cavity built into the box. line the filter cavity with old trampoline canvas or screen door material.

Hopefully your project really sucks

 

[boggen]

ya a big over sized shop vac.:thumbsup:

for FEL (front end loader) general bucket. i think i might take some regular cheap pipe insulation you can get at all the large hardware stores. and just place it around the 2 sides top and bottom. then take a piece of plywood. and some ratchet straps and fasten to plywood right over the front of the bucket. to create kinda of air tight collection chamber.

most likely will cut 2 holes in the plywood. one near each side of the bucket. and kinda high towards the top.

after doing a little grading on the gravel drive with the FEL. i tore up some yard scraping the rock back in. but o'well. not breaking my back to hand rake it back into the drive way.

so i think for mean time. will just hook the suction side of a shop vac i have to one hole in the plywood. then hook up a flex hose to other hole via 2" bulkhead or shower drain (being used as a bulkhead) through the plywood. and just hope i have enough extension cords.

it would be nice to have something ran off the PTO, or hydraulic pump to run a blower / vacuum fan. vs needing the electrical motor shop vac. but will do what i gotta do. to avoid the metal hand rake.

there just be times it would be nice to suck up some mulch and cleaning up a project work site that a over sized "shop vac" that mounted to tractor would be nice. were customer decided how big the catcher for stuff needed to be.

 

[boggen]

two observations:

1. the containment "box" would have to be air tight in order to acheive a vacuum.

2. the main vacuum tube (filters) would be prone to clogging which will result in loss of vacuum.

i would allow the material to "pass through" the fan. not only will it be more effiacient, it will shread debri allowing you to fit more in the containment vessel.

*shakes head NO* i do not want rocks and mulch, weeds, and everything else to pass through fan. i said cheap.

as iplayfarmer noted. containment vessel doesn't have to be super air tight. a little leak here or there. and if anything some good old fashion (duct tape) will plug the leak up.

filters clogging yes and no. it depends on what is being vacuumed up. if it means i gotta pull a window screen from old window that is being used as a filter and nock it against some metal to clean it some. then so be it. that is what the filter is there for.